So, you’ve created a business video, sales video or demo video that you’re sure is going to be a hit and you’ve uploaded it to the web. Now what?
If you’re planning to sit back and twiddle your thumbs while you wait for the views to start rolling in, sorry to burst your bubble, but your work’s not done yet. If you want people to actually see your video you’re going to have to promote it. Lucky for you we’ve compiled some promotion tips to help you get your video the attention it deserves.
A Note Before You Promote
Before you even start promoting, it’s important to ask yourself whether your video is share-worthy. Is it compelling? Is it something that people will want to watch? There are over 60 hours of video uploaded every minute to YouTube alone. Viewers have a lot of video content to choose from and if your video isn’t worth the watch then, simply put, nobody is going to watch it. If you’re confident that your video has what it takes, read on to start promoting. If not, head back to the drawing board and make your video something worth watching.
Sell Your Video With Metadata
When you promote your video, oftentimes you’ll just be pasting links and titles on Facebook, Twitter, in forums and in other places around the web. When you do so, potential viewers will be presented with the title, description and maybe a thumbnail of your video. They’ll have to decide whether or not they want to watch based on this information, so make sure your title, description, thumbnail and other metadata is compelling and on-point. Perfecting this stuff will make the rest of your promotional efforts go a lot more smoothly.
Target your Fans and Loyal Customers First
When you make a video to promote your business one of the best ways to reach a wide audience and (hopefully) skyrocket your video into viral territory is to share the video with people who already support you in hopes that they’ll watch the video and share it. Post the video on your Facebook business page and Twitter account, post it on your company blog, on the homepage of your website, and even consider including the link to the video in the next email newsletter you send out.
When you post the video, if possible, include buttons that viewers can click to easily share it on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks to maximize sharing.
Blogger Outreach
When you create a video, one of the best ways to attract viewers is by getting your video written about and posted on blogs related to your industry. Send your video out as a news tip to various popular blogs in your industry. Let them know what makes your company special and why their readers will benefit from watching your video. If you produce new videos and content on a regular basis, creating a list of relevant bloggers and building a relationship with them can be a great asset for future promotions.
Targeting Niche Communities
Just like you targeted niche bloggers related to your industry, you can target niche communities. Find forums related to your industry and share your video within those forums. Find key influencers on Twitter and try to start a conversation with them and share the video in hopes that they’ll retweet it to their followers. Reach out to the administrators of related Facebook groups or post the video link in these groups. Note: You want to be subtle with these kinds of promotions and not spammy. Promote in a way that adds something to these communities.
A note on Paying for Views
Paying for views is a somewhat controversial practice which is becoming more and more common among big brands these days to get viral campaigns off the ground. We’re not supporting or condoning it — just letting you know it’s out there.
Now that you’re armed with an awesome video and some great promo tips, let the video promotion begin! May your video get all the views it deserves!
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